150th Birth Anniversary of Ram Chandra Maharaj

Ram Chandra Maharaj (1873-1931) of Fatehgarh, UP, was the first spiritual master or the Adi-Guru of the Sahaj Marg of Raja Yoga meditation. He was affectionately known as Lalaji Maharaj. He imparted yogic training through transmission, where the master transmits divine energy into the heart of the seeker to accelerate spiritual progress and achieve the highest expansion of consciousness.

Ram Chandra Maharaj rediscovered the art of yogic transmission that had been practiced in India for thousands of years. His simple approach to spiritual training, original research on spiritual processes, the knowledge of self, and his insight into the human condition help seekers of spirituality on their path to self-realization and finding the divine within. Lalaji Maharaj emphasized meditation on the heart and shifted the search for truth from an outer practice to a purposeful inner quest.

The teachings and spiritual work done by Ram Chandra Maharaj have now expanded across the world through the Sahaj Marg of spirituality and the Heartfulness movement. Through the Heartfulness movement, this ancient yogic form of heart-based meditation has reached millions of practitioners across 160 countries to help live a meaningful and balanced life.

Ram Chandra Maharaj was born on 2nd February 1873, on the auspicious day of Basant Panchami in Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh. Lalaji Maharaj offered spiritual training to seekers from all walks of life without discrimination, ensuring that the highest stages of realization were within the reach of all humanity. People of any caste or creed, followers of any religion who had a quest for ultimate reality received training from him. His personality, mode of living, and generous behavior earned Lalaji Maharaj the affection and respect of everyone. Finding a great change in themselves, these seekers told others about the change reflected in their personalities, and thus, this brought a large number of seekers to Lalaji Maharaj. This resulted in a snowball effect resulting in the spiritual upliftment of millions.

Revered Lalaji Maharaj led a simple and pious life. He lived the life of a family man and attained heights of spiritual perfection. According to him, grihastha or family life was most conducive to self-development, and any sincere seeker could progress up to the highest level of spiritual attainment while fulfilling the duties of a householder. Lalaji Maharaj brought the highest spiritual approach within reach of all those who wished to receive it amid worldly responsibilities. He simplified the method of spiritual training and the system of meditation and adjusted it to suit the requirements of the time. He directed the seekers to make friends of their enemies and the persons whom they dreaded and guided them not to do unto others as they would not wish others to do unto themselves. He considered love to be the greatest tapas or penance. According to Lalaji Maharaj, the ultimate state is one of perfect balance of heart and mind, and the real sadhana is one that leads to such balance through meditation on the heart.

Lalaji Maharaj was trained in Urdu, Persian, and Arabic and had a sound knowledge of Hindi and Sanskrit. He was in favor of the remarriage of widows as well as the education of women. After his retirement, he began giving all his time to spiritual work, spending two to three hours every day dictating books, articles, and letters. He has written more than a dozen books on spirituality and self-realization. He left his mortal body on 14th August 1931.

The art of yogic transmission of divine energy or pranahuti was passed from Lalaji Maharaj to his most devoted disciple, Babuji Maharaj. In 1945, Babuji Maharaj founded the Shri Ram Chandra Mission in honor of Lalaji Maharaj and formalized the Sahaj Marg system of spiritual practices and further refined his master’s teachings into the current practice of Sahaj Marg or the Heartfulness Movement. The mission has established branches in many countries worldwide offering various programs to children, youth, and millions of spiritual seekers. Heartfulness practices and meditation trainings are available at thousands of locations in over 160 countries.

Heartfulness trainers are available for individual and group meditation sessions both in-person and remotely. The training in heartfulness meditation is offered free of charge. Shri Ram Chandra Mission or the Heartfulness movement strives to connect all of humanity through a daily practice of yoga and meditation, thus offering the precious gifts of human transformation and human integration. The Heartfulness movement continues to grow, adding new seekers all over the world.

The Department of Posts is delighted to issue a Commemorative Postage Stamp on the 150th Birth Anniversary of Ram Chandra Maharaj and appreciates his contribution in imparting the knowledge of Sahaj Yoga and Meditation, thus contributing to the spiritual upliftment of missions at a global scale.